STORM FORCE – “Breathe” featuring Serena Pryne (2020 Escape Music video)
Our rock and roll friends Storm Force have released a new video for “Breathe”, and a good one it is!
These days when a band drops a new video, are you often disappointed? Many videos today are low budget slideshows of still photos, or crude animations. This was the trend even before Covid. Unless you’re AC/DC, few go to the trouble of actually filming a concept/performance music video anymore. Storm Force did a good one with “Pretty Vegas”, and now they are back to blow minds with “Breathe”, one of the strongest tunes on the new album Age of Fear.
“Breathe” deserved a proper video, and Storm Force deliver. Lead singer Patrick Gagliardi sings from behind bars, but is it the prison of the mind? He is joined by vocalist extraordinaire Serena Pryne, who has the grit and power of people like the highly respected Sass Jordan. Although the lyrics are open enough to work with many interpretations, the song is about mental health, and having someone there to support you. The video has the right tone and passion for this serious subject. But if you want, you can just enjoy it as a mighty power ballad.
Of course, guitarist Greg Fraser has plenty of experience with music videos. His solo on “Breathe” is cool because you can hear that it is him by the tone and technique. Drummer Brian Hamilton and bassist Mike Berardelli create a really cool groove on this track, and Hamilton looks imposing and fearless in the video.
One must also credit Gagliardi for a collection of increasingly cool hats.
Sometimes we take one for the team. For no reason other than to get it done, we take out albums we strongly dislike just for the sake of writing them up. Sometimes there are pleasant surprises and time has been kinder than our memories have been. And sometimes you’re just Honkin’ on Bobo, whatever the fuck that means. It could be code for Sucking the Big One.
Necessary background: After 2001’s putrid Just Push Play, Aerosmith were eager to strip it back to basics and record an album live in the studio. They returned to producer Jack Douglas and picked an album’s worth of blues covers to Aero-fy. This is a formula that rarely works out well for rock bands, and Aerosmith fell into the blues cover trap with both feet.
The only exception is one new original, a ballady blues called “The Grind”. It happens to be one of the best tracks, though firmly within that Aerosmith bluesy ballad niche that they carved out for themselves in the early 90s with “Cryin'” and “Blind Man”. That this is an album highlight is a warning as sure as a watchman yelling “iceberg dead ahead!” We’re about to take on water, and there aren’t enough lifeboats.
One of Aerosmith’s issues since the mid to late 90s is how they’ve become a caricature of themselves. Bob Diddley’s “Road Runner” is thick with Aerosmith clichés to the point that it sounds like an Aerosmith covers band filling their set out with standards. “Road Runner” isn’t limber, it’s thick in the thighs with thuddy rock tropes. Joey Kramer injects some life into “Shame, Shame, Shame” but it only makes you wish Aerosmith had tackled the track in 1974 instead of 2004 so it wouldn’t sound so contrived. “Eyesight to the Blind” (Sonny Boy Williamson) isn’t convincing, as Tyler huffs through the song like a burlesque singer. “Baby Please Don’t Go” makes you crave AC/DC’s superior version, although the groove on this one is positively unearthly. It’s an unbelievable groove that perhaps should have been made into an Aerosmith original rather than a throwaway cover.
Aretha’s “Never Loved a Man” is transformed into “Never Loved a Girl”, and with the Memphis Horns on board there’s some value to it, but compared to Aretha they sound like rookies. Like an amateur artist copying a master with crayons. “Back Back Train” is actually OK, and it might be that Joe Perry is a more appropriate vocalist for a blues classic. Tyler’s histrionics wear thin on this album, but Perry’s laid back singing works better. Tyler surely doesn’t aid the sluggish “You Gotta Move”.
A dreary “I’m Ready” (Muddy Waters) is still a long way from the end. “Temperature” also drags along, Tyler turning it into a parody. Fleetwood Mac get the Aero treatment on “Stop Messin’ Around”, at least the second Mac cover that Aerosmith have done after “Rattlesnake Shake”. Please welcome Joe Perry back to the microphone on “Stop Messin’ Around”, and please keep Tyler away! Unfortunately it’s a boring tune (blazing fretwork aside), and so is the closer “Jesus is on the Main Line”.
Even the most stalwart defender must concede that Honkin’ On Bobo isn’t a blues album for a blues lover. It’s a blues-rock forgery that occasionally captures the odd highlight for posterity, but is otherwise expendable. In other words if you’re in a Zombie apocalypse looking for CDs to chuck at the undead, Honkin’ On Bobo can be flung guilt-free.
1.5/5 stars
And once again, it’s the return of the dreaded flaming turd!
“Ladies and gentlemen…Twisted mother fuckin’ Sister!” – Lemmy Kilmister
TWISTED SISTER – Live at the Marquee (2011 Rhino Handmade)
First of all, this thing is huge. There’s a CD in there somewhere.
You already know some of these recordings from the Big Hits and Nasty Cuts CD. In 2011, finally, after numerous B-sides and compilations, the entire legendary Marquee club show was made available on CD from the fine folks at Rhino Handmade. Coming in this beautiful (but fragile) cardboard die-cut cover, this was so long overdue. For a long long time people sank many dollars into collecting as many of these live versions as possible. Few collected all the released tracks, but now the entire show is available. That means you get all those B-sides plus a bunch of unreleased songs from the gig, including all the talking.
From Lemmy’s now legendary introduction to the final notes of “Feel So Fine”, this is Twisted Sister at their absolute heaviest. When I first heard five of these recordings as the “Nasty Cuts” on the Big Hits (1992) CD, they turned me off a bit. They were too heavy. Too fast. Too ragged. Too punk rock. Not what I was expecting from what I considered to be a pop rock band, back then. However, Dee’s rants made this so difficult to turn off! You never know what was going to come out of Dee’s mouth next.
Eventually I realized, this stuff is actually Twisted Sister at their absolute best! They are in their element and in their glory, playing these songs for the fans and also the haters in the crowd that night, whom Dee addresses frequently.
I’m sure the band won the haters over that night.
The recording is crisp, clear, and powerful. It is in your face. It feels like you are right there on that stage with the band. The mix is perfect. The guitars have good separation and the drums are recorded perfectly. The vocals are also clear and only slightly overpowered by the stampeding band.
Personal fave: “You Can’t Stop Rock And Roll”. The crowd had never heard this one before, being brand new and unreleased. Finally I am hearing a version of “You Can’t Stop Rock And Roll” that lives up to the song’s potential. The album version, as great as it is, isn’t as heavy as it was live. This, my friends, is Sister at their absolute best. I’m saying that without a trace of hyperbole. For me, this is it. This is Twisted Sister at their tightest, fastest, heaviest and inspired. The crowd eats it up.
Honorable Mention: “I Am (I’m Me)”, which comes close to the end of the set. Dee’s voice is off on a few notes, but this is rock and roll baby! I’d pay my life savings to be able to sing as well as Dee did that night! (note: my life savings are not much, but I’d pay ’em anyway.)
Dud: “Leader Of The Pack”. It’s just weird to hear it at a show this insane. It kinda slows things down a bit much (even though it’s so much heavier than the Ruff Cuts version).
BLUE RODEO – “Day After Day (Rose-Coloured Glasses)” (Remix) (1987 Warner 7″ single)
Blue Rodeo were off to a hell of a start. With a debut LP produced by Terry Brown (Rush), the uncategorizable band eventually went four times platinum in Our Home and Native Land. Their first single, “Outskirts” didn’t do much, but the followup singles sure did. Because of its unforgettable chorus, “Rose-Coloured Glasses” was renamed “Day After Day”, with the original title in parentheses. It was also remixed for the 7″ format. The 7″ remix remains exclusive to the single, despite a massive Blue Rodeo box set released not that long ago.
Purchased for 99 cents by Dr. Kathryn Ladano somewhere out in the boonies (possibly Radio Shack in Port Elgin), this copy looks like it was marked for clearance. There is a telltale burn mark on the inner ring of the record. Anything with non-album tracks or versions was on our radar for collecting and we didn’t care about little burn marks if the record was 99 cents!
The remix isn’t drastically different; some minor changes. The song didn’t need any help. As one of Blue Rodeo’s best from the early days, it’s still pure delight. Greg Keelor’s lyrics are that of a lovestruck poet, something he does very well. He often finds himself entranced by new love. “But there’s something in those eyes that keeps me hanging on, I’m hypnotised.” Still he’s always grounded in his own reality. “See a world that’s tired and scared from living on the edge too long. Where does she get off telling me that love could save us all?” I love everything about it. The music is full of joy and hope just like the object of Greg’s affection.
The B-side, “Floating”, is an unlisted edit version. Cut down from 7:53, this version runs at 7:28. There’s about 7 seconds of noise missing from the opening, and the rest seems to be taken off of the end. That’s means you’re not getting all of Bob Wiseman’s nutty organ soloing, but who are we kidding, you already have the album anyway. In contrast to the A-side, this is one of Greg’s more nocturnal explorations. Are those waves crashing that I hear? Blue Rodeo jam on this long bomber, the title of which is descriptive of the music. “And I feel like William Holden floating in a pool,” goes the line that gives the song its name.
This is a band that has it all: writing, playing, and singing. They don’t use outside writers and their live shows feature jams that go on for days. I’m going to get a little preachy here. If you’re going to jump on the Blue Rodeo train, may as well start at the beginning with songs like “Rebel”, “Try” and of course “Day After Day”…or “Rose-Coloured Glasses”. It doesn’t matter as long as you get it in your ears. Hell, Bob Wiseman on his own is a brilliant and entertaining artist. Throw in the rest of the original lineup and you have a formidable contender for Canada’s greatest band. Greg Keelor’s guitar playing has always been underappreciated, though Jim Cuddy’s golden voice gets all the praise it earns. Basil Donovan’s bass is in-demand due to his innate sense of rhythm and melody. And Cleave Anderson, the former punk drummer who went country, just has a “sound”. It’s simple and it’s his, just like Johnny Fay. Though the band today is larger and more versatile, original Blue Rodeo was a special thing.
Promo CDs are a funny thing. Any promotional CD that you have ever seen or owned was free at some point in its life. Since promos were intended to be play copies, or giveaways, selling them was highly frowned upon. When I say “frowned upon” I mean illegal though not heavily enforced. So it is funny that this 23 year old Motley Crue promo has “STOLEN FROM CKWR” (the very station that hosts Rob Daniels’ Visions In Sound), written on the disc in black marker. I did my duty and reported it to CKWR just now, but weirdly enough they could care less!
The real crime here is the “clean” version of a Motley Crue song from Generation Swine, and it is an absolute hatchet job. Unlistenable.
Why would you even bother with a “clean version” of “Find Myself”? The very second line in the song is “I gotta find myself some BEEP”! (The word was “drugs”!) The first line of the chorus is “I’m a sick mother BEEP er!” Utterly ridiculous. You’d think someone would have played it once and said “this is unreleasable”. I counted seven beeps in under three minutes.
If you prefer, the “dirty” version of “Find Myself” is on the CD too. Why was the record company Elektra pushing that song so hard? It’s a weird punky track with Nikki Sixx on vocals for the verses, with the returning Vince Neil handling the choruses. Not the kind of thing you’d really think to push at fans all excited about Vince coming back, right? But here it is, twice. Though the chorus is good, I’m not going out on a limb by calling this song “shitty”. Or BEEP-y!
Much, much, much better are the album tracks “Let Us Prey” and “Shout at the Devil ’97”. First, “Let Us Prey”. This is the only track that sounds like a progression from the ’94 self-titled album with John Corabi. Crabby even has a writing credit on it, and who knows, maybe that’s him screaming “Let us hunt!” Tommy Lee did that, according to Tommy Lee, but I think it sounds like John. It was certainly written for John to sing. “Shout ’97” is a cool remake of a song that didn’t need remaking, but it was 1997 so what’re ya gonna do? Added samples and a dance-y beat made it pretty irresistible. Mick Mars threw down some cool new licks here, although the droning guitars are very dated. Still, passing grade for “Shout ’97”.
Even though this CD has two good tunes out of four tracks, the “clean” one is such an atrocity that this gets:
FAITH NO MORE – “From Out of Nowhere” (1990 Slash records 3 track 7″ single)
When I was beginning to seriously collect Faith No More in 1991 onwards, I had no idea what was out there. I found the UK 7″ single for “From Out of Nowhere” at a record show in Guelph. There are different versions of this single out there with “Cowboy Song” on the B-side, but that track can also be found on Live at the Brixton Academy. The UK single on Slash/London has two live tracks you can’t find anywhere else, recorded by the BBC on March 2 1990. Shortly after “Epic” was released as a single, but before it went mega.
The problem is, with 10 minutes of music squeezed onto the B-side, this single sounds horribly thin and is ridiculously quiet. Tons of surface noise too. The A-side, which spins at 45 rpm, is better. Have a look at the unaltered waveform in Audacity for comparison.
Faith No More didn’t truly make it big until the end of the (first) vinyl age. The album version of “From Out of Nowhere” was always an excellent song; one of their most “mainstream” if you can call it that. The keyboard hook is the main angle, and Patton’s notable for using that clean nasal voice he discontinued not long after. An excellent song, and a cornerstone of any nutritious Faith No More collection.
The B-side, the exclusive live recordings, rotates at 33 1/3 rpm. Captured in Norwich, “Woodpecker From Mars” is Faith No More’s instrumental classic led by a keyboard violin voice by Roddy Bottum. There is a different performance on a home video called You Fat Bastards (which is the complete Brixton set) but nothing else on audio. “Epic” is disappointingly edited by the BBC. They obscure the line where Mike Patton naughtily sings “get down on it and fuck it some more.” The band sound fresh and almost green with enthusiasm for the song, playing it a bit more straight than they would later on.
On the plus side, this single comes packaged in a gatefold sleeve, a rarity for 7″ release. Inside Mike Patton is givin’ ‘er live on stage. Some kids probably taped this to the wall as-is.
Though those without the syrup of the Mighty Maple flowing through their veins might not be familiar with Sloan, there are some who consider the east-coast quartet to be Canada’s greatest rock band. With four writers / singers / instrumentalists, it’s an argument with some merit. Though some say they are too sloppy live, in the studio they have some truly shining diamonds. Some of those gems aren’t even from albums.
1995 was a difficult time for Sloan. After receiving no support from Geffen for their shoulda-been breakthrough album Twice Removed, the band either broke up, or were about to break up, or considered themselves broken up even though they weren’t. The double A-sided “Stood Up” and “Same Old Flame” single comes from this murky period in their timeline, released on their own label murderecords. (In Japan, these two songs were included as bonus tracks on their third full length CD, One Chord to Another.)
“Stood Up” is a Chris Murphy number with a catchy tremolo guitar hook. The lo-fi recording is so tasty. Sloan’s usual vocal harmonies create the melodic blend you expect, but that relentless guitar groove is center stage. Not dark, but shady, with energetic shouts. By contrast, Patrick Pentland’s “Same Old Flame” is light and upbeat. The fun verses set up a more plaintive chorus, all danceable. Though both songs are equally strong, it’s “Same Old Flame” that you will singing and tapping your feet to.
For only $7, I found this single at yet another record show in Guelph with my buddy Peter. Today it sells for twice that. Though I hoped to find more than just one Sloan single that day (“Rhodes Jam” still eludes me), at least I left with what I came for. A great single for any Sloan collection, big or small. An essential one in fact, now that everybody is into vinyl again as their primary format.
There are plenty of services online for cutting your own music to vinyl these days. The one that caught my eye was VinylArt.co, based out of Wales. This company will cut picture discs with your chosen artwork and (legal) music to four sizes: 5″, 7″, 10″ and 12″. How well does it work? Read on to find out.
MAX THE AXE – “Randy” (Live at the Boathouse) (VinylArt.co custom picture disc)
“How many times can you say Randy?”
The first thing I need to note is that I didn’t choose a song to put on vinyl for its fidelity. The prime factor behind me spending my money wasn’t to test the product for review, it was to make something that I wanted for myself. It had to be something that you can’t get physically — I wanted to create my own physical product for something that only exists digitally. In 2018, I recorded a song by Max the Axe when they played the Boathouse, and a few people commented that they liked the video. I think the live version of “Randy” they played that night was outstanding. It had bite and presence. Singer Eric “Uncle Meat” Litwiller really gives his all in this version, particularly on the chorus. I decided to turn that version, recorded on my phone, into an “official bootleg” live record. Sound quality wasn’t even a concern in that regard.
VinyArt.co seem to market these records as keepsakes more than a way to play music. For example, you have two packaging options: a coloured paper sleeve, or a frame. You don’t buy frames for records you plan on playing. I planned on playing my Max the Axe “Randy” bootleg. I wanted it to sound decent. Does it?
Actually yeah. It sounds OK for a picture disc. There is surface noise that you can hear during the fades. As you can see from the waveform image below, you also lose volume with a picture disc. By nature it is not going to sound as clean as the original mp3 file that it was made from. However VinylArt “master” the track as part of the process, and it does sound full and beefy enough for my needs.
Unaltered vinyl at top, original mp3 at bottom
It’s a very easy process. All you have to do is upload a photo, and a track that you own (or one from their library). Then you choose the record size. The smaller the cheaper, but also the less music that will fit. A 5″ record can only handle up to four minutes, so I had to go with the standard 7″ single. The records are one-sided with a smooth white finish on the B-side. With shipping to Canada, the whole thing cost me $55 CAD and took just over a week. They track the whole process for you, from photo printing to audio mastering to record cutting.
Keep in mind picture discs do not typically offer the same quality as pure black vinyl, but this is something I wanted for myself as a keepsake. The bass is nice and fat and the vocals clear as a bell. Except for the fade-in and fade-out, which are noisy, it sounds like a vinyl record should. About what I expected.
Now Max the Axe can boast that he has been bootlegged to vinyl, and a decent one at that. I can claim to own the only copy in existence, a limited edition of one! The rarest record in my collection.
VinylArt.co aren’t going to make your music sound better than the source material, but it will sound like vinyl. Your music, on a playable picture disc! I plan on ordering something from them again, so if repeating a sale is a way to judge a company, then VinylArt gets the passing grade. And so does Max the Axe!
POISON – “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” (1988 Capitol 3″ CD single)
This is a beautiful item that I’m happy to have in my collection. 3″ CD singles were uncommon, but you’ve probably seen one before. What is less common is the clamshell 3″ case that this Poison single came in. A lot of 3″ singles came in regular 5″ cases, or a cardboard sleeve. Clamshells are rare. This one, called a “Gem Pak” (patent pending) was specifically made to house a “CD3”, another outdated term. It’s made of white plastic and the artwork is in the form of a sticker which covers the front, back and spine of the case. The Gem Pak’s flaw (patent pending!) is that it does not hold the disc in securely. It wants to pop out. Take care when handling one of these that the disc doesn’t fall out when you open it.
I’m a defender of “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”. I loved it as a kid. I remember some people saying it might be “too country”, which is wasn’t. It’s just an acoustic ballad but a well written one and deserving of its success, if not its notoriety. It tended to spawn a generation of soundalikes, a fuzzy swarm of late 80s acousti-balladry that ultimately only served to take bands like Poison down, while ushering in the grunge era. “Every Rose” broke down walls for Poison, but the backlash was inevitable. When Bill & Ted quoted it to get into heaven in 1991, it was already all over. I can hear all that history when I listen to this single. It’s an excellent song, and even C.C.’s solo, as inarticulate as it is, still fits like an electrically heated glove.
The B-side “Livin’ for the Minute” shows off the heavier side of Poison. Fans might forget that Poison liked to really spit one out every now and then. C.C.’s solo is bonkers on this one, but perfectly suited to the frantic tune. Bret really cuts loose too. Poison actually have some pretty cool B-sides.
These tracks are both available on the remastered Open Up and Say…Ahh!! CD, but you gotta snap this one up if you find it in the wild.
METALLICA – “Mama Said” (1996 Vertigo CD singles parts one and two)
In order to get all the songs, you had to buy three separate singles. You needed the 7″ vinyl (reviewed yesterday) and two CD singles. The total payoff was seven B-sides: five live, one demo, one single edit. The 7″ picture disc included “Ain’t My Bitch” live from Irvine Meadows in ’96, and the rest are on the two CDs each sold separately.
The first single ignites the live feast with “King Nothing”, which finds Metallica in an informal mood before kicking into the track. Though “King Nothing” was eventually released on its own as the fourth single from Load, it was never really one of the best songs from that album. It slams heavy enough and would have been fun to mosh to. They go old school on “Whiplash” which has that energy you want out of live Metallica. The old fans boo the new fans, but everybody gets what they want. Lars is sloppy as fuck; what do you expect? When Metallica play stuff like “Whiplash” live it’s not about precision, it’s about energy and this version delivers.
The first CD ends with just a single edit of “Mama Said”, a good ballad with a country twang that some fans might have found unpalatable. It’s shorter by 40 seconds, starting immediately with James’ lead vocal. 15 seconds chopped at the start and 20 more at the end. Do Metallica fans need single edits? No; Metallica was always resistant to compromises like that. Paul DeCarli was given the job of the edit, presumably being told to get it safely under five minutes for radio.
“Mama Said” album version (top) and single edit (bottom) waveforms
The second CD in the set wastes no time going for the throat. It’s “So What”, the infamously vulgar Anti-Nowhere League cover that was a B-side for Metallica once upon a time before. It was so notorious that it became a live favourite unto itself, often turning up in the encores. That’s followed by “Creeping Death”, an epic way to cap off the live tracks. That mountainously heavy rock just never lets up until it gives way to another massive one.
The last and most interesting track among the B-sides is the original “Mama Said” demo recorded solely by James and Lars in Ulrich’s basement. Electric guitar at first instead of acoustic, but beautiful. The purity of this version, unadorned as it may be, is the reason to seek it out. The twangy guitar part is in place, as are the lyrics (not always the case with James’ songs). Metallica could easily release an album of their demo versions, but they haven’t so you gotta get the singles.
You must be logged in to post a comment.